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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25987903">Hawkmoth's Challenge {Percy Jackson and Miraculous Ladybug Crossover}</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Angel23/pseuds/Dark_Angel23'>Dark_Angel23</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hawkmoth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Crossover, Gen, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:20:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25987903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Angel23/pseuds/Dark_Angel23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Three new students turn up at our heroes class one day without any warning. They are mysterious and seem to posses powers no has ever heard of. Would they prove to be friends or foes?</p><p>Caution- Not a ship fanfic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hawkmoth [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927393</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. How it all started (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b> <em>Marinette's POV</em> </b>
  </span>
</p><p>It was another normal day in my normal Parisian life when it all started. </p><p>I was running late to school. But thankfully, I managed to get to class and take my seat next to Alya before the bell rang. Samairah, who was sitting a few seats behind (and above) me, caught my eye, and gave me a wink. I smiled back. Even though she is mysterious and secretive, she is a great friend and great classmate. She had earned my permanent respect (and I suspect everyone else's too) when she had stood up to Chloe during her first day here. It was a scene to remember, even though I hadn't seen it in person.</p><p>Madam Bustier floated inside the class wearing her usual outfit and a big smile. </p><p>"Good morning students!" She called out. </p><p>"Good morning madam Bustier!" The class chorused back. </p><p>"Before we start today’s classes, there is something I need to tell you all. As I had said a few days ago, three new students from America will be joining our class from today." </p><p>The class blinked twice in perfect synchronization. It was eerily quiet. You could practically hear crickets chirping. And so, of course, the most annoying girl in the history of annoying girls spoke up. </p><p>"THREE NEW STUDENTS?" Chloe screeched. "Haven't we been punished enough by one?" She gestured vaguely at Samairah. I frowned at her. I was used to her bullshit, but this was crossing the lines. I took a deep breath to calm myself down, and glanced at Samairah to see her reaction. She did not have one.  She was sitting calmly carving a piece of chalk with the nib of an empty pen. </p><p>"Samairah is a great person Chloe. Maybe you should take some time out to get to know her better." Madam Bustier suggested. Chloe scoffed and sat down again. Either Madam Bustier did not see it, or chose to ignore it, as she then turned towards the door and called out to someone standing right outside the door. "Ok, you can come in now!" </p><p>The door opened and three teenagers stepped in. Two boys and a girl. A tall tanned guy with messy black hair and sea- green eyes was standing beside a blonde girl with grey eyes, both wearing orange t-shirts and jeans. The third guy was standing a small distance away from the two, who were obviously a couple, dressed more or less the same, but with a pair of overalls and an impish grin. He had brown hair and his hands could not stop moving. His eyes were darting around, and his fingers were either clicking or fiddling with each other. </p><p>I noticed the black- haired guy looking up to someone in the class. A slow mischievous grin spread across his face. I looked around to see who he was looking at, and it turned out to be......... Samairah. She had a similar grin on her face. She discreetly gave him a thumbs up and then went back to whittling her chalk figure. Then the new students started introducing themselves. </p><p>"Good morning.” The blonde girl said. She had a commanding voice, and was clearly used to being obeyed. I mentally compared her with Chloe. Besides the blonde hair, there was nothing similar between them.</p><p>“My name is Annabeth Chase.” She completed.</p><p>“Percy Jackson.”  The black-haired guy said.</p><p>There was a small pause, and then the third guy said “Leo Valdez.”</p><p>“We have just come from America, and this is our first day here. Being born and brought up there, we don’t really know anything about the French way of life. I hope that you will help us.” It was a little awkward, but I guess that was to be expected. This was their first day here, after all. </p><p>I looked around, and noticed that everyone was raptly listening to them. I guess that maybe it was the way they spoke, or their odd appearance. They were all built like fighters, linthe and strong. I should know, I am one too.</p><p>Well, this will be interesting. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. How it all started (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Percy's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Me and Annabeth were having a great day at the beach until she showed up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aphrodite.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> I knew right then that she was going to send us on a quest. I was tired of finding her magic pink cosmetics. Hadn’t she heard of a cupboard? Or a lock? That would probably keep them from getting lost or stolen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But what occurred was something I wouldn’t have dreamt of even in my wildest dreams.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Let's rewind to today morning, 10 am, when me and Annabeth were getting ready for an epic day at the beach. We had packed a picnic and a blanket, and were heading down to the beach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By 12 o'clock, we had swum in the sea for a good 60 minutes, eaten our picnic, and were half- an- hour into our sandcastle- making contest.  I hate to admit it, but Annabeth's was better than mine. It actually looked like a sandcastle (It was probably because of her architectural skills), whereas mine looked like a pile of wet sand (probably because it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pile of wet sand). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly there was a pink flash, the strong smell of perfume blasted into existence, and Aphrodite stepped out from the explosion, knocking my castle (pile of wet sand) over. "Hey!" I complained. My castle was just a pile of wet sand, but it was a very precious pile of wet sand, on which I had spent a lot of time and effort on. Aphrodite didn't even have the decency to look ruffled. She just brushed the sand off her dress and......</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"My heroes!" Aphrodite spread her arms. Me and Annabeth leaned away from her. "I have a quest for you." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Does it include having to go and find your magic pink hairbrush again?" Annabeth asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Sadly, no." Aphrodite's tone changed dramatically. "This time I will be sending you far away. Another country, in fact. You will be going to Paris, the city of love!" She spread her arms again, and this time me and Annabeth ducked to avoid it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?!" We said in unison from the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeeeesss!" Aphrodite squealed, and then composed herself. "Ahem, Ahem." She cleared her throat. "I need all seven of you here, right now." She said in a stern voice, but was unable to hide the undertone of glee from it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But, your majesty," Annabeth and me got up from the ground and dusted ourselves. "Piper, Jason, Frank and Hazel are at Camp Jupiter right now." Annabeth pointed out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Eh? Well that's a shame. Don't worry, I will debrief them later. For now, just call the last person who is here." She clapped her hands, and Leo emerged with a flash of pink light, still with his visor on, and his welding torch plugged to nothing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What's happening?" he pulled up his visor and looked around in confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"You are going to Paris, honey." Aphrodite replied to his question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What?!" His head snapped up to her. She chuckled lightly. "Yes." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Why?" Leo asked. We looked at the goddess. "Well, you all had been working so hard, so we felt you should get a break." We all narrowed our eyes at her. She sighed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Fine. There is trouble in Paris and they need your help." Annabeth gasped. "Hawkmoth?" She asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Do you follow the Ladyblog Annabeth?" Aphrodite asked her. She nodded. "Yes Annabeth. He is getting stronger. And Ladybug and Cat Noir need your help." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yes sure. We will go right away." Annabeth replied instantly. "We will?" I asked her. She glared me down. "Good. now let's talk logistics, shall we?"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>****</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By 2:00, we were ready. Aphrodite had told us everything we needed to know. She told us (mostly me and Leo) who Ladybug and Cat noir were, who Hawkmoth was, and what we needed to do. She told us that we would be going to Françoise Dupont High School, where Ladybug's and Chat Noir's civilian forms went. She warned us to be careful, as they did not know each other's identities. She also told us that we would be staying at Le Grand Paris hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Paris which was owned by the mayor, André Bourgeois. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She also had been nice enough to put some translation magic on us, so if we spoke English, the Parisians would hear French, and if they spoke French, we would hear it as English. I was nervous, as we had to go by air, and air travel was dangerous for me, but Aphrodite assured me that she had talked to Zeus about not blowing me out of the sky. It reassured me a little bit. It was a 7- hour journey, so I packed my panda pillow and a jar of blue cookies with me. By 2:30, everything was packed into the van (with a little difficulty due to Leo's various knick-knacks) and we were seated, off to the airport to catch a flight to Paris.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Adrien's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I have a new theory. That which states that all the new students in our class are the most interesting ones. Don't believe me? Spend one day with Samairah and those new teens from America. You'll understand what I mean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anyway, those teenagers are great. The small guy, Leo, is funny and a great engineer. I suspect he will be able to defeat even Max in a contest. The tall guy, Percy, is chill. He had a great personality, and was quite good- looking too. That’s a good thing, I guess, as hopefully that would keep Chloe off me for a few days at least. Though I suspected that the blond girl (who was probably his girlfriend), would break her bones if she tried to. Oh, well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speaking of Annabeth, she was</span>
  <em>
    <span> freakishly smart</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She outshone Samairah in every class. I expected her to be furious, but she seemed thoroughly uninterested. She was either reading a book or working on her chalk figure whenever I glanced at her. But I did notice her shooting a few glances at Annabeth whenever she answered, but didn't react. I was puzzled. Why?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, finally, it was lunch. I hung back a little, waiting to see if Chloe would threaten these new students like she did to Samairah. Not because I wanted to defend them, I was sure they would be able to do that very well themselves, but to see their reactions. I was sure that they would be even more spectacular than Samairah's. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But unfortunately, Chloe did not threaten them. I guess she was scared, I would've been too, but it was disappointing, frankly. Nevertheless I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>see something else. The new students made their way to Samairah, who was setting her bag (and probably hanging back due to the same reason as me), and asked her to sit with them. I was very confused. Did they know each other?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>During lunch, Samairah sat down with the teens at a table far away from her usual one, talking to them in hushed voices. I was properly confused now. How did they know each other? Were they sharing secrets? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Little did I know that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were </span>
  </em>
  <span>sharing secrets. Stories about how they ended up there. Everyone has secrets, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>****</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>According to today's schedule, we had Physics after lunch. I was looking forward to it. Not because of learning the concepts, mind you, but because I was sure that Annabeth and Samairah will have a face- off. And so, of course, an akuma attack hit the city. Arrgghhh! </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We had just sat down in the class when the siren started wailing. Annabeth and Samairah shot to their feet at the exact same moment, slapped their hands on the table in mirrored movements, and yelled in unison "LEO! NOT NOW!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leo, who was sitting a few seats in front of them, dropped the wire contraption he was holding, spread his arms, and yelled back- "What? I am right here!" Annabeth and Samairah blinked. "What? Then how-" Annabeth started, and then her eyes widened. "Oh no! It's an actual akuma attack!" This jolted the teacher out of her trance.  She quickly started ushering us out of the door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Remember to read pages 378 to 382 from the textbook by tomorrow. We will have a discussion on it next class." She repeated it a few more times, but I don't think anyone heard her. As was my routine, I did not go out of the front door with the rest of the crowd, but snuck into the bathroom to transform.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Blackout</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Ladybug's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Physics at school when an akuma attack hit the city. I was quite disgruntled.Today was one of the few days in which I actually have fun at school, and I was hoping I would be able to complete it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But nooooo, this stupid person just </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span> to get akumatised and ruin my day. I sighed as I joined the crowd going out of the classroom. The teacher was saying something, but I didn't pay attention as I was distracted by the gut feeling that something unusual was going to happen today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had landed on the top of the Louvre a few minutes after Chat. I had taken a detour to arrive there from a different direction, so Chat doesn't realise where I come from. This time, my detour served a different purpose. It had revealed dark patches in the streets of Paris, where sunlight should illuminate the areas, but wasn't. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I reached there, Chat turned to me with worry written in his green eyes. "What is happening?" I asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No idea. I have never seen anything like this before.” He said, looking out to the city with worry written in his green eyes. There was silence for a few moments, and then Chat shook his head and started again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> "The Akuma's name is Blackout. From what I have seen, he has the ability to turn any place he touches black, so even light cannot penetrate it." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was confused. "What do you mean 'any place he touches?'" "I mean that if he touches an area on a wall or pavement, the place becomes dark. Light, artificial or natural, can't bring light there." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I thought about it for a little while, then something struck me. "Have you seen the akumatised victim himself?" I asked Chat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at the sky, then squinted around him, and finally shook his head. The pieces clicked together in my head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need to find him as quickly as possible." I said, pulling on Chat's arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?" He asked, sliding his arm out of my grasp. "Is it about school? Because I really don't want to-" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, this isn't about school." I interrupted. "We need to find him as he is invisible." Seeing Chat's puzzled face, I sighed. I really didn't have time, but I needed him to understand if we were going to do this as a team. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"See. Blackout is dark. This means that he can camouflage himself in the dark patches. To make this worse, I also suspect that he looks like a wisp of black smoke, so it is going to be extra difficult to find him. The more time he roams free, he will increase the area covered, and that will make it more difficult for us to find him." Behind us, a dull THUNK! shook the air, and I turned around "Galaxy!" I called out. "Couldn't you have come five minutes earlier so I wouldn't have to repeat it?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was scouting." Galaxy said simply. "And don't worry, I heard everything. I know what's going on" She turned to Chat. "Ladybug's right. We need to find Blackout as soon as possible." She smiled. "And fortunately for that, I have thought of a few friends. Shall we go to the Eiffel tower?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I really didn't want to, but Galaxy assured us that it will be better if we did. Soon Chat also agreed, so now I had no choice but to go with them. When we reached, I saw the new students from our class there. Percy, Annabeth and Leo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey guys, I got them." Galaxy called out. "Let's continue with the plan." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>" Whoa- whoa- whoa..." Chat said as we landed beside her. "Who are these guys? How can they help us? Do they have any superpowers that they could help us with? No right? Plus, they are from America, so we will be held responsible if anything happens to them. They should be in their hotel now! Safe!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait-" Percy interjected, eyeing Chat suspiciously. "How do you know that we are from America?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chat looked sheepish. He opened and closed his mouth again twice, rather like a goldfish. "You are underestimating them." Galaxy said, saving Chat from his awkward silence. "They can do plenty, and there is no time to make introductions. As Ladybug said, we need to find Blackout ASAP. Now, let's get on with the planning!" She stretched her fingers. "Ladybug, perhaps you could call your lucky charm?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked at her. "Now? are you sure? Because-" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I have a feeling that we would need it right now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded, took out my yo-yo, and- LUCKY CHARM! What fell into my hands, was..... A candle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A candle? But Chat, didn't you say that nothing could light the dark patches? Neither artificial or natural light? So, why this?" I held up the candle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you try magic?" Leo piped up. I faltered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What-" I started, but Galaxy interrupted me with a thoughtful "Hmmmm, that could work." She jogged over to the nearest dark corner, which was a short distance away, and we followed her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being a fashion designer, I couldn't help but notice and marvel at the way how comets streaked across the fabric of her dress when she moved. When she reached it, she dipped the end of her staff to the dark corner, so the flames could light the place up. And to our astonishment, they did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Magic flames can light the darkness." She whispered, and then turned to us. "Hold out your candle please." She instructed me. I did so. She dipped her staff and lit my candle with the fire. The flames glowed blue with undertones of pink and green, unlike most candle flames, that burned yellow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Galaxy smiled. "The fire is infused by magic now. It won't flicker or burn out. They will glow until you transform back. I think we should split up. We will cover more distance that way. Ladybug and Chat Noir, you're a group, Leo and Percy, you are one, and me and Annabeth will go together." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait." Chat Noir interrupted. "Percy and Leo? How will they see? They don't have magical fire." Galaxy turned towards them. "They know what to do, they'll manage. Now let's go!"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Blackout Defeated</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Annabeth's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Me and Galaxy (Samairah) have been roaming Paris for a good two hours, with the darkness getting endlessly blacker, trying to find Blackout. By the end, I was getting tired and frustrated. I know, I have trudged through Tartarus for days on end, so I should have more stamina, but having absolute darkness around you that cannot be punctuated by any kind of light except magical flames was a new experience, and also quite oppressing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At least Tartarus had light, even though it was blood red and extremely stifling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We were walking through a stretch of road and had come to a crossroad when Galaxy faltered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"What happened?" I asked her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not sure. It’s definitely something that would help us, but I can’t put my finger on it.” I trusted her enough to know that what she was saying must be true, so even I started looking around, even though there wasn’t much to look at.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We had passed this crossroad two minutes ago. It wasn't darkened." She said suddenly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catching on to what she was saying, or at least thinking, I completed the thought. "This means that Blackout must be nearby."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded and then turned around in a circle, examining all the roads branching off. She pointed over to one. "I think he has gone that way. All three other roads were darkened the last time we were here, and that was the only lightened one."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe he doubled back and went one of those ways. You can’t be sure he went there.” I pointed out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Galaxy hung her head, the flickering flames of her staff making eerie shadows appear on her face. “I’m not. But he is trying to cover as much area as he can, so it makes sense he went that way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> I nodded and we took off. After running for a minute, I noticed something like a wall of darkness in the distance. I knew by what we had seen before that it meant that there was light on the other side. This meant Blackout was there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"I think Blackout is here." I whispered to Galaxy, and then put on a burst of speed without waiting for her reply. I soon reached the wall and tackled the place where I thought Blackout was. Galaxy had said that he probably looked like a wisp of smoke, but thankfully I could touch him. Both of us fell on the ground, grappling. Blackout was trying to push me off, and I was trying to pin him to the ground. ”Galaxy!” I called out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of footsteps became louder, and light illuminated the area around us, also falling on Blackout’s ghostly face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yep, there he is." She said, before throwing her staff into the air and yelling "Chaos!" I was blinded by a supernova explosion, and when I could see again, Blackout was encased in a glittery sphere. Galaxy helped me up, and I dusted myself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Can we go out into the light?" I asked her. "The darkness is blinding me." She nodded and went through the wall with the cage. I followed. It took my eyes a minute to adjust. When they did, I noticed myself in a grassy field. Galaxy was sitting down criss-cross applesauce, her cage hovering a few feet away from her. She looked at me, patted the area in front of her, and I sat down, both of us waiting for the others to arrive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Leo's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Me and Percy were walking by the school when a delicious smell started tickling my nose. I squinted to see where it was coming from, but my flames were not lightening it. I blazed them a little bit more and saw that it was coming from a bakery. I wondered how they were able to bake when there was total darkness, but then I realised that Blackout hadn’t gone inside, and so there was still light there. Weird.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> I poked Percy on the shoulder and pointed over to it. His face lit up. "I am really craving a croissant." I told him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Me too." He replied. We started towards it and had just reached the door when a huge BOOM! shook the air. I sighed and turned around. There it was. A supernova explosion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This meant that Galaxy and Annabeth had managed to capture Blackout and were undoubtedly waiting for us. This indirectly meant..... No croissant. Seeing my crestfallen face, Percy kept a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be unhappy." He told me. "I will give you a bakery party after all this is over." He smiled. "After all, I also want one. with blue food of course." We both laughed, my spirits lifting again. We started off towards the direction of the supernova.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>****</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When we reached there, the Ladybug girl and Cat boy were already there. (Aphrodite had explained to us who they were, but I was distracted. Annabeth had done so too, but I wasn't listening.) I noticed their gaze was directed on something on my right. I turned towards there and almost had a heart attack. There was a huge sphere of some magical glittery substance hovering only a few feet away from Galaxy. An undulating figure was moving inside it, and even though it was in a cage made of pure light, it still managed to be the blackest thing I had ever seen. “What’s that?” I asked Galaxy, walking over to the place where everyone was sitting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> "That's Blackout. I have managed to get him, but I can’t purify him. We will need you for that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why can’t you purify him?” I asked her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have strong enough emotions. Hawkmoth preys on his victims using their emotions, and that’s how we can defeat him too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I chuckled lightly. “Your anger’s plenty strong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She laughed lightly too. “Yeah, but I need positive emotion. Plus, you’re the only one with the magical flames.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aye aye captain. What is the plan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I will dissolve the cage and he will come rolling out. And then you will light him up. Got it?" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"But Galaxy-" Chat Noir interrupted, but she shut him off with a glare. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ready?" She asked me. I looked at the figure in the sphere and shuddered. "He looks like Clytius." </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Galaxy blinked at it. "Indeed he does. But-" She shot me a sideways smirk. "The good thing is, that this one doesn't require Hecate's magical torches to be vanquished. Now, ready or not, here he comes!" She swung her staff in a wide arch, and the sphere vanished. Blackout somersaulted when he hit the ground, and then stood up growling. I stared at him. Slowly lifting my hand, I willed a ball of flames to erupt in my palm. I was too full of adrenaline to even register the shocked faces of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I hissed and charged. Blackout did too. When we were about to meet halfway, I swung my arm and slammed it against Blackout. Time stretched. The next thing I knew, a figure was crouching in front of me. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ladybug and Chat Noir rushed over. Ladybug pulled a wristband off him and threw it in the air, just as Chat Noir yelled "Cataclysm!" </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I watched in fascination as a ball of black energy erupted in his palm. He caught the bracelet, and then it floated down in a pile of ashes. A black butterfly flew out of it, and Ladybug caught it in her yoyo. When I could see it again, it had turned white. She and Chat Noir fist-bumped. "Pound it!"</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She and him made their way towards us. Immediately, Ladybug wheeled onto us. "Who are you guys? What are you doing here? What was that? What-" She faltered to a stop. Just then, I noticed something from the corner of my eye. Did Galaxy just snap her fingers? Suddenly- 'Beep Beep!' Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses beeped simultaneously. Ladybug sighed. "I have to go, but next time, I want answers." She swung away, and Galaxy turned to us. "Phew, that was close." Her lips then formed a grin. “Come on, let me treat you to the best baked goods in Paris.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Answers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Adrien's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plagg, do you know anything about those people?” I asked, lying face down on my bed. The voice came out quite muffled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” He answered bluntly, zooming around the room. “Hey! Where have you hidden the cheese?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sighed. Of course he wouldn’t give me any information like this. I sat up, and pulled out a slice of cheese from my jacket. Plagg’s head whipped around instantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I give you this, then will you give me information?” I asked him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” He replied, clearly distracted. Well, this was the best offer I will get. I tossed him the camembert. He caught it in midair and gobbled it in one go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” I demanded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blinked at me. “I don’t know anything about these people. Never heard of them in my 2000 years of life.” He answered, and then went to the upstairs bookcase to take a nap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I took a deep breath to restrain myself from yelling at him. Well, at least I won’t have to smell the camembert everywhere now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a huff, I went back to my old position on my bed, face-down. Who were those people? How did Galaxy know them? That guy, Leo, how did he get fire on his hand? What secrets were they hiding? I groaned and turned around. The frustration was getting almost unbearable now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> I wanted answers. Now. Too bad that our miraculous had started beeping when Ladybug was about to question them. I sat up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wanted answers, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> get them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn't believe it. I was actually looking forward to having an akuma attack today. Well, not the akuma attack itself, but to the time after so we could interrogate those Americans. I took a deep breath, setting my expression to one of determination, and marched up the stairs in the front of our school. On my way, I saw my friends chatting, and I am pretty sure that Nino noticed me too, but when he opened his mouth to call me over, I gave him a pointed glare. I had one goal right now. To find </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I found them, all right, they were talking and laughing with Samairah. They looked so happy, that I was deflated. I will ask them during patrol. Anyways, if I ask them as Adrien, they may get suspicious. Better to do it as Chat Noir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We didn't have an akuma attack today. Of course. The one day I actually wanted an akuma attack, there wasn't one. But fortunately, it did give me and Ladybug some good time during patrol to make a plan. It was dangerous. Very dangerous. It was so because it consisted of trapping Galaxy, and that generally is a bad idea. Also, we had to trap the others too, and we had no idea how powerful they were. We were treading in the dark. Yet, we decided to go through with it. We’ll see what happens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Next day, the plan went into action. Me and Ladybug had made it in such a way that it would work even if an akuma attack did not happen. If it did, well and good, but if it didn’t, we had a backup plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An akuma attack did not happen during the entirety of school. I was secretly hoping that one did, so at least one part of our plan will be truthful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We had decided to go through with it at 3pm if an akuma attack did not happen. And so, at 2:55, I stood in front of the window in my room, looking outside, while simultaneously unwillingly breathing the fumes from the camembert the cheese- loving kwami was eating from beside me. Suddenly, my watch beeped. I transformed, jumped out of the window, and started running over rooftops. Ladybug joined me soon, and then, according to plan, we started jumping about, acting like we were attacking an akuma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, you may be confused, but this was a part of our plan, that we would fight a non-existent akuma, deeming it as invisible, and hope that Galaxy and her friends show up so we can trap them and demand answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We had no idea how Galaxy got to know about the attacks, whether she saw us fighting or some instinct told her. We hoped that it was the former. Otherwise things will not go according to plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A small thunk! shook me out of my thoughts. Looks like our plan worked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turned around to see Galaxy shaking her arms. I looked around. Her friends were nowhere to be seen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is the akuma?" She asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are your friends?" Ladybug replied with a counter- question. Galaxy shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This mission seemed dangerous. I didn't want to endanger them." She replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We need them." Ladybug said firmly. I have to say, she was good at this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked up to see Galaxy frowning. "You don't know anything about their powers." She said. "Then how can you be so sure that we need their help?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Call it a woman’s intuition.” Ladybug was not usually the one to argue with Galaxy, but this time, she was determined to get what she wanted. Galaxy raised an eyebrow. For a second, I thought that she knew about our plan, but I quickly pushed it aside. No. Think positive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I am positive that she knows</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ began to form in my mind, but I shut the doors on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” She shrugged, and then did a backflip off the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Show off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was gone for an awfully long time. Half an hour, at least. I and Ladybug went off to detransform in the middle, as we had gotten tired and our kwamis had too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When we came back, Galaxy was standing at the bottom of the building, looking skyward. Her three friends were there too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo was fiddling with a couple of wires, making God knows what. Annabeth was staring at the architecture of a nearby building, and Percy squinting at what looked like a bronze knife. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We landed, drawing their attention to us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hola!” Galaxy said, with what seemed like a big grin underneath her veil, which seemed a bit fake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where is the akuma?" Annabeth asked, seeming a bit impatient. Ladybug frowned a little at her. Catching the look, Annabeth clarified sheepishly ”I want to go back and finish my design for a building.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was scouting before I came here. I think I saw some clues that way." Ladybug said, and started to lead the way. We moved through the town, leading them on to a wild goose chase, searching for an akuma that did not exist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had gotten a little winded by the time we reached the last part of our plan. We turned into an alley, and then stopping suddenly, we let the others pass us. By the time they realised what happened, it was too late. A cage fell from the sky, effectively trapping them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence for a few moments, until they processed what just happened. I readied myself to fight off their attacks, but…… None came.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was wondering when this is going to happen." Leo said, looking at the bars above his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy sighed. "I guess you want answers." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. And you</span>
  <em>
    <span> will</span>
  </em>
  <span> give them to us." I said, stepping forward and saying this as viciously as I could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> "We never refused." Galaxy said simply. She sat down, and others followed suit. After a small pause, she started again. "We will tell you everything, if you swear upon your life to keep it a secret."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-Half an hour later-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn't believe it. I was about to go into shock. Greek mythology, Gods, children with powers? What was all that? I glanced over to Ladybug. She looked as confused and shocked as I felt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes of processing time, I asked Galaxy "Are you a demigod too?" She shook her head. “Nah, I wish I was one, though, they are cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All four of them sat looking at a confused Ladybug and me, who were processing all that they had just told us. At last, Annabeth said irritably "We have told you everything, can you free us now?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking herself, Ladybug replied "Yeah, sure." She flung her yoyo over a horizontal flag post, and through the bars of the cage, and then pulled it taut, so that the head was wedged between the rods. Slowly, she began to lift it, pulling the cage upwards. I moved in to help her. Both of us used our full strength, and the additional bit that we got from our miraculouses, but the cage lifted only a little, just enough for them to wiggle out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When all of them were safely out, we left the string and the cage clattered back to the ground. With a wave of Galaxy's hand, it was gone. She paused, and then spun around, swinging her staff too, so the flames at its top pointed towards us. Her dark eyes glittered dangerously behind her veil with twinkling stars. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have told you everything you needed to know. You had promised to keep it a secret. And you will do so, unless you want to be on the receiving end of a supernova." She growled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We nodded fervently. "Good." She said, and then stood back up straight, lowering her staff. "Now I am hungry. Who wants ice- cream?"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Danger</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In a dark chamber beneath the Agreste household, Hawkmoth was standing before a circular window. In front of him, the Parisian skyline stretched endlessly, and yet his mind was somewhere else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was thinking about the three newcomers. The teenagers. Who had powers that he had never heard of. No miraculous had those kind of powers. Not the power to harness fire, definitely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe that girl Galaxy gave them her miraculouses? As frustrating as this was, Hawkmoth had no idea about Galaxy’s miraculouses. They could be anything, and Hawkmoth would not know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Growling in anger, Hawkmoth whipped around and threw his walking stick in the air, and it hit the wall with a loud clang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though Hawkmoth did not know what was happening, one thing was clear. They had to be defeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew exactly what he needed to do for that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, it will be very dangerous, Hawkmoth could lose his miraculous over it, but that was a small price to pay for the greater good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned around and stalked to the small table hidden in a corner of the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was an assortment of things there, but Hawkmoth had eyes for only a single object.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small hinged silver box. When Hawkmoth opened it, the object inside shimmered in the dim purple light.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to be perfect.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nooro, Duusu, Unify.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~*~*~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Leo's POV </em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun was shining brightly, the air was full of love, and Percy was dressed in a bedsheet toga.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, seriously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Since this morning, Percy was taking advantage of the huge walk-in closet of the suite and all the clothes that came in it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mostly they were suits and tuxedos, and a few dresses, and they were all ill-fitting, but still Percy managed to fit in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had now tried on all the outfits, and was revisiting his toga-tying skills with a bed sheet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The clanging and banging was telling me he wasn’t doing that well of a job.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as I picked up my laptop to try out another level of Candy Crush, there was a knock at the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few feet away, I noticed Annabeth tense up. She placed her pencil back on the table and picked up her knife, which she hid in her sleeve. Slowly getting up, she walked towards the door. By the time she reached the door, I had also pulled out a hammer and was in position to attack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Percy had also realised that something was wrong, and poked his head out. I gestured to him to stay put, seeing that his naked body may give our attackers a heart attack. (Even though that will probably help us, it may permanently scar them.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth unlocked the door, and quickly swung it open.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A loud exclamation of “About time you opened it! We almost grew roots here!” knocked up all of balance. After we got somewhat used to the world of the living again, I finally got a look at the people at the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frank, Hazel, and Piper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Annabeth looked at them in surprise. “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Came to help, duh.” Piper replied, striding inside. “Nice place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’s Jason?” I blurted out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was overseeing the construction of a shrine and couldn’t leave. He had to plead with Aphrodite, but she agreed to let him be. We’re here, so you don’t need to worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A short while later, a very loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>Clank!  </span>
  </em>
  <span>prompted us all to look at the window. A huge piece of asphalt had clattered against it and fallen to the ground. Some distance away in the city, a huge figure was wreaking havoc across the city. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We all gawked at it. It was big enough to be a monster, but what was it doing here? In Paris? And why hadn’t we seen it before?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>We found out soon enough. Frank, being the rational one, switched on the T.V and navigated to a news channel. According to the show, which was in French, a new akuma was attacking the city, and was much more powerful than any of the others. They did not show any close up shots, as anyone who went close enough to it did not survive the encounter. There already had been five civilian deaths. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to be devastated." Annabeth whispered. Hazel and Piper, who were standing beside her, nodded solemnly. Annabeth gave herself a little shake, and then turned towards them. "Listen, I forgot to tell you this, but-" Piper held up a hand to stop her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"We know about all that. Aphrodite told us all of this before we came." She smiled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But before she could continue, the door burst open. All of us turned towards it, reaching out for our weapons, but it wasn’t anyone dangerous. It was Samairah. Running. She skidded to a stop in front of us, and caught her breath. "We have a problem." She announced. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Yeah, we noticed." Percy replied, pointing over his shoulder at the television behind him, which was still blaring out the news in rapid French. Samairah blinked. Once. Twice. "Oh! Right."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, there was another </span>
  <em>
    <span>Clank! </span>
  </em>
  <span>on the window. we all turned towards it expecting another piece of asphalt, but saw Ladybug and Chat Noir instead, wanting to be let in. We did so, and crouching on the window sill with Chat Noir, Ladybug said "We have a problem. And we need your help. But...." She paused and frowned at Hazel, Piper and Frank. "....Who are you people?"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Sphinx</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Chat Noir's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They are demigods too." Leo replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hold on, hold on." Samairah held up her hands and then moved them apart, making a time out gesture. "You-" She pointed to us, "Need their help." Her finger travelled across the room to land on Percy and the others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"......Yes?" I said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samairah spread her arms. "Why can't you take other miraculous holders' help?" She asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug looked uncomfortable. "We don't want to endanger them." She replied, a little hesitantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samairah stared at both of us, betrayal and anger clearly written on her face. “And what makes you think that it is okay to endanger them?” She asked sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug opened her mouth, and closed it again. This happened a few more times. Normally I would have chuckled at Ladybug being rendered speechless, but this time, there was a very angry Sam and a Sphinx breaking havoc in the city. I didn’t have time for laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samairah continued. "I can’t believe that you are honestly doing this! They’re as important to their world as you are to Paris! I was hoping that you understood that when you captured them and forced them to tell you everything!" Then suddenly, her lips clamped shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait, how the hell did she know that we had trapped them? I mean, sure, she was really smart, and left no opportunity to bother us, even though her information was usually helpful, but there was no way that she could have known this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I opened my mouth to ask her this, but was cut off by one of the newcomers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Samairah, it’s okay." A girl with curly brown hair and golden eyes said. "We can handle this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Samairah deflated. "Fine. You guys can do whatever you want. I don't care. And if I am not saying anything, that doesn't mean I am okay with this." Saying this, she stormed out of the room</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug looked at me, and I shrugged. She turned towards the demigods. "Come on, let's go. The more time the Sphinx is loose in the city, the more damage it will cause." Her voice hitched a little, and I knew that she was thinking of the civilians who died.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The Sphinx?" Annabeth said sharply. "It calls itself that?!" She looked angry. I nodded, confused. Annabeth didn't give any indication as to why she was so furious, but instead turned around and ran out of the door, yelling "Dibs on killing it!" We all followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We had been standing in the middle of the city for a good twenty minutes, gawking at the chaos, when I realised something. It looked like Ladybug did too, as she had been squinting at Sphinx, and she suddenly said- "The Sphinx looks different. It looks like a sentimonster, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> an akuma victim. But for some reason, it looks like they have been mashed together. Oh no- " </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned to me, her eyes wide in shock. "That's not what has happened? Has it?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pulling my lips into a thin line, I said “Yes, I think that too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it even possible?" She asked me. I nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Remember Reflekdoll?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug's lips twitched. "Yeah, but Juleka was akumatised and the Reflekdoll was amokatised. They weren't the same being." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, I realised what must have happened. Ladybug seemed to do too, as she gasped and said- "Hawkmoth had united the miraculouses." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded distractedly, trying to find some other way to explain this. No. It wasn’t possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug shook herself a little, and looked around. "Guys, where's Galaxy?" She asked. As if on cue, she dropped from the sky, stood up and brushed herself off. "We need to defeat the akuma." She declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No shit, Captain Obvious. You think so?" Leo said to her, cocking an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. I know so." she replied, flipping her hair, a grin on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leo rolled his eyes. "Any plan?" He asked her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. I think we should do a frontal attack. At least we would know more about its abilities. Right now we only know that it is very strong. Maybe it has some other abilities that we don’t currently know." She said, waving her staff around and almost setting fire to a patch of weeds nearby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a horrible idea. We’ll all be killed.” Leo said, and then turned to Annabeth. "What do you think?" He asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth, who was in a trance, probably formulating plans, shook herself and looked at him. "Huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Plan?” Leo prompted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh right. I think we should do a frontal attack. It’ll help us get to know about any more powers Sphinx may have." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Great!" Leo exclaimed, pulling out a hammer from his toolkit. He charged, and we all followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last remnants of Galaxy’s indignant “What the hell?!” shook the air molecules, just as a grin spread on my face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>2 hours. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We had been fighting the Sphinx for two hours, and were nowhere close to defeating it, or finding out about any hidden powers. But seeing the current situation, there weren’t any. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth and Piper had been attacking it with knives, while Leo was trying to melt the asphalt below it so the akuma would fall and get trapped in the sewer line below, while occasionally throwing random hammers at it. Both were not doing much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth and Piper's knife slashes healed over a few seconds after they were made, and the Sphinx did not stay at one place long enough for Leo to melt the road. Frank had produced a bow and a quiver of arrows from thin air, and was now incessantly shooting arrows. Most of them bounced off, but a few stuck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Galaxy had bewitched her staff to help Leo melt the asphalt and was attacking Sphinx with a pair of wickedly long silver knives that I knew she kept strapped to her forearms. But just like Annabeth and Piper, her knife slashes were healing over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy and the girl with brown hair, Hazel, had vanished at the starting of the fight, but random pipeline bursts and huge rocks that appeared out of nowhere led me to believe that they were behind it. These, along with Galaxy's occasional supernovae were doing the most damage. But it still wasn't enough. Sphinx left a trail of destruction through the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, we decided to take a break and discuss our next plan of action. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of us gathered on a random rooftop. "The frontal attack was a horrible idea. " Galaxy groaned, clutching her ribs. She had managed to make a deep cut in Sphinx's neck, but then he had swatted her away and sent her flying to a wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea!” Leo exclaimed. Galaxy gave him a look through the pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How odd. I was quite sure it was Annabeth’s. Now it’s mine just because it is convenient for you?” She asked. Leo ignored her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, so how do we plan to defeat the Sphinx?" Percy asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, in the stories, and with your experience, Annabeth, the Sphinx used to ask riddles. Maybe we could do that?" Hazel suggested. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annabeth shook her head. "No. The one that you are talking about is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span>  Sphinx. The one we are fighting is something else that has taken a body of one. I don't think it is the same thing." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hazel nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So," I interjected, "Any ideas?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My Lucky Charm?" Ladybug asked hesitantly. I stared at her. "Haven't you already called it?" I asked her. "I did, but that was before I had to transform back to feed Tikki. I didn't call it after that." She said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I shrugged. “We don’t have any better ideas, so why not?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"LUCKY CHARM!"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Sphinx Defeated</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <b>
      <em>Chat Noir's POV</em>
    </b>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the-” I started, staring at the objects that had fallen to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>10 jute sacks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone quickly got on to the ground and opened them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Ladybug asked excitedly. “I have never gotten such a big lucky charm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh….. It’s better if you see it for yourself.” Frank said, and stepped back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frowning, Ladybug pushed past the group and stood in front of it. “</span>
  <span>Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I followed her, pushing past everyone and reaching her. I stepped forward, and stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had never seen anything like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the ten sacks, seven of them contained dry straw, and the other three contained gunpower. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gunpowder. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Straw and gunpowder?" Ladybug said wonderingly. "What are we supposed to do with </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>?" She looked around, no doubt using her powers to find something that would give her a clue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I've got it." Piper interjected suddenly. She looked around at all of us. "I think." She added. I raised my eyebrows in question. She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "Maybe we can, you know..... Trap it?" She said sheepishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But how?" Ladybug asked. "It's not like we have enough to make a cage big enough. Even if we did, we don't have time." Piper shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe....." Annabeth started, and everyone fixed their gazes on her. "Maybe we don't need to make a cage." She said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have a plan?" Frank asked her. "Kind of. Not all the details, but a rough idea that may work." She replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Go on." Percy prompted her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe if we mixed the straw and gunpowder, spread it in a ring, and lured Sphinx in it?" She said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy quickly caught on. "And then we can burn the straw, and Sphinx would be trapped inside." He finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone thought for a while, and then nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But a weakness in the plan was pointed out by Hazel. "But the ring will be huge." She said. "So it will take a few seconds to catch fire. If Sphinx figures out what is happening, it won't be too difficult for him to get out of it, and we won't be able to catch him again. Plus, it is really strong and its skin is really thick and magical. We saw that when we tried to stab it. So even if we use fire, he can get out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So we need something to make the whole ring catch fire at once, and something that will burn Sphinx so badly that he can’t heal." I clarified. "Huh. Turns out we have something that will meet both those requirements. Gal-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. I can’t.” She deadpanned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?! Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can't do what you want me to do. I can't call a supernova." She said, much to my and Ladybug's astonishment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You reached your limit?" Frank asked. She nodded. Everyone groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can't you use your extra one?" Leo whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Galaxy stared at him. "Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> me to die?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You won't </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You'll just pass out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, like that's any better!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The conversation went on for some time. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but from what I heard, apparently Galaxy couldn't summon more than 5 supernovae a day, and she had already reached that limit.  And if she called another one, she'll lose her energy and pass out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Half an hour later, they managed to convince her. The trap was laid, and we started discussing how to lure Sphinx in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By unanimous vote, I was selected. Everyone cited my ability to annoy for their choice. Ladybug, I understood, but the others? They had been here for a week and they already thought that. Embarrassing, really.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Groaning, I moved to a rooftop nearest to Sphinx’s current position. Taking a deep breath, I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Hey you shaggy headed sewer rat!” I admit, that it wasn’t a very good insult, but that went out of my head when I saw it turn towards me. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had never felt so much fear in my life before. We had seen it from afar, but its face was even more hideous from close. The golden brown fur was matted with dirt, and the huge mouth was lined with sharp looking teeth big enough to rip a person a half. The shaggy mane was covered with blood. I tried not to look at it. I was pretty sure he wanted to kill me, but I didn't stay around long enough to see that. I jumped off before the Sphinx swiped, and started leading it across the city to where the trap was laid, occasionally throwing another insult over my shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I could see the last roof in front of me. After that was the concrete plain where we had laid the trap. Putting a last burst of energy, I jumped off, skipping the rooftop and somersaulting in the air, trying to show off a little, but I didn't execute it properly. I barely managed to land on my feet, and scrambled out of the ring just as Sphinx dove into it. Before he could move out of it, however, Galaxy popped out of a couple of bushes and summoned a supernova. I shut my eyes, but still the bright light managed to blind me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A crashing sound was heard. Galaxy had collapsed, but I wasn't too worried as Piper and Hazel were there to catch her. I opened my eyes and focused on the akuma in front of me. The ring had caught fire instantly, and me and Ladybug quickly jumped into the ring of fire (our suits are fireproof, and Galaxy had magicked them into being resistant to magical flames too), and while Sphinx was baffled by the sudden fire, Ladybug pulled off a armband off Sphinx's front left leg, which was where we thought the akuma was. I quickly destroyed it. A purple butterfly flew out, which Ladybug purified with her yoyo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instantly, another thing floated out. A purple feather. Ladybug cleansed that too. A dark cloud encased Sphinx, and when it dissipated, I started. There wasn't a baffled person sitting there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, a lone bracelet sat there. Ladybug picked it up. It was simple, a braided wristband made of some fibers. Ladybug stared at it for a second, and then then her eyes widened. She looked away from it, disgusted. She looked like she wanted to throw it far far away. "Ugh. Please tell me that this </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn't</span>
  </em>
  <span> human hair."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I quickly grabbed it. Running a finger over it, I noticed that one of the three types of fibres that it was made of was, indeed, human hair. One of the other two was a feather, and the third was some unrecognizable brown fibers. I was looking at it intently, and didn't notice the others walk over. A hand came into my vision and picked up the bracelet. I looked up and saw that it was Hazel. She was examining the wristband. "Human hair," She said fingering the black strand. "A feather, an eagle's probably, and......... Hair from a lion's mane." She looked up, her eyebrows raised. "Wow. That's cool."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Percy held out his hand. Hazel threw it to him. He surveyed it too. It was passed around, and everyone observed it, except Galaxy, who was leaning heavily against Annabeth and was barely conscious.  At last, it was back in Ladybug's hands. "Do you want to keep it?" She asked me. I shook my head. "I'm allergic to feathers, remember?" She frowned. “I don’t want to either, it’s got human hair.” Piper held out her hand. “Give it to me. I’ll burn it when I get home.” Ladybug passed it to her with a grateful smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause, and then Ladybug spoke again. "So Hawkmoth </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> combine the miraculouses." She said. Everybody nodded solemnly. Another pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If he did so, then he can do it again. I don't think that you will be able to defeat him on your own. Guys, I think we should stay here." Frank said, turning to the New York gang at the last part.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug shook her head. "You don't need to. The peacock miraculous was broken -</span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>broken- and it is increasingly unstable. It would've nearly destroyed the moth miraculous, and Hawkmoth himself, so I don't think he will try it again. We'll be able manage him ourselves."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So you don't want us to stay?" Frank asked, unsure. Ladybug shifted uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I would like it if you could stay for a few more days, and we could show you the places in Paris, but I am sure you are busy. Fighting monsters, cursing out Gods, the demigod business, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So will it be okay if we go?" Frank asked, still unsure. Ladybug nodded earnestly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Piper checked her watch. "We should be at the airport in an hour then." She said, just as mine and Ladybug's miraculous beeped. "Uh, you guys don't need to come, if you are busy." She said, looking at us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No we want to." I pressed. "We'll just recharge our kwamis and be at the airport in an hour." I looked at Ladybug for confirmation. She shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay then, it's settled. Meet you at the airport in an hour!" We all went our separate ways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had an hour to kill. So I roamed Paris, something I didn't do often. And I kinda got carried away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I checked my phone, I realised that I was fifteen minutes late. Oops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I quickly transformed and hurried towards the airport. Everyone else was already there, and I saw Ladybug looking around with an irritated expression. She saw me running, and yelled "QUICK! THEIR FLIGHT LEAVES IN 45 MINUTES, AND THEY NEED TO BE INSIDE IN FIVE!" Man, she could be loud when she wants to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I quickly rushed over. Goodbyes were heard, a few tears were shed, numbers exchanged, along with promises to stay in touch. And then they turned around and went inside. I watched them go, until they weren't visible through the glass walls. I would miss them, and I hoped that we would meet again.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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